Egypt amending telecom lawApril 20th, 2011 -
By Desmond Shephard
Following the shut down of the Internet in late January, the Egyptian interim government announced on Tuesday that it was “seriously” looking into the review of the country’s communications law. It will particularly focus on article 67 of the Constitution, which says the government can “instruct service providers and mobile operators to cut their services in the case of any disaster or situation jeopardizing the national security of the country.”
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The move has been praised by local rights groups and activists, who have for the past month demanded the government take action to ensure the Internet would not be curtailed for any reason.
“It is a step in the right direction and finally they are taking this to the appropriate channels to get resolved,” said the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI).
The pan-Arabic media freedom organization had been pushing the government to take action and had even filed a number of communiqués to this effect.
The cabinet described the decision to cut mobile communications and Internet as “inappropriate.”
The cabinet stressed that the process of amending the article would be guided by similar articles in communications laws enacted by “democratic and transparent countries and said that the amended article will not be used to curb the rights of citizens to access information or to jeopardize their safety.”
By Desmond Shephard
Following the shut down of the Internet in late January, the Egyptian interim government announced on Tuesday that it was “seriously” looking into the review of the country’s communications law. It will particularly focus on article 67 of the Constitution, which says the government can “instruct service providers and mobile operators to cut their services in the case of any disaster or situation jeopardizing the national security of the country.”
click here to read the article
The move has been praised by local rights groups and activists, who have for the past month demanded the government take action to ensure the Internet would not be curtailed for any reason.
“It is a step in the right direction and finally they are taking this to the appropriate channels to get resolved,” said the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI).
The pan-Arabic media freedom organization had been pushing the government to take action and had even filed a number of communiqués to this effect.
The cabinet described the decision to cut mobile communications and Internet as “inappropriate.”
The cabinet stressed that the process of amending the article would be guided by similar articles in communications laws enacted by “democratic and transparent countries and said that the amended article will not be used to curb the rights of citizens to access information or to jeopardize their safety.”
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